Welcome back to the Regency Grand Hotel, where head maid Molly Gray and her coworkers are about to find themselves in the middle of another murder investigation. This time, renowned mystery author J.D. Grimthorpe drops dead in the middle of an author event in the newly renovated tearoom. So many questions abound: Could one of the hotel employees be behind his demise? Maybe his fan club of bookish ladies? Or his lovely secretary? And how does Molly’s history intersect with Mr. Grimthorpe? Is the adage “the maid is always to blame” really true?

Molly Gray is once again delightful and quirky, with a unique voice and mindset that brings to mind a smidge of a grown-up Amelia Bedelia, with her literal interpretations and misinterpreted social cues. I loved that we got a good dose of Molly’s backstory growing up with her gran, who dispensed many pearls of wisdom and inspired Molly’s career choice. While the mystery of who killed Grimthorpe was entertaining, it was Molly’s character arc that I truly enjoyed!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House – Ballantine Booksfor providing me an advance copy of this book.

The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose was a welcome treat. I loved The Maid and getting to know her and sleuthing skills. This book is just as good. Molly is such a fresh character in fiction and I enjoyed that the author went back into Molly's childhood. Next, I'd love a book about Molly's mom!!

Links and formal review coming soon.

I convinced myself that I don't like cozy mysteries and definitely not in a series and here comes Molly the maid and I love her! I''m already looking forward for book 3 in the series before book 2 is even published. Molly has a boyfriend now and seems less miserable and overall more brave. Well written and entertaining!

Molly the maid is back, and she is just as wonderful as ever. There is another death at the Regency Grand Hotel, and this time, the deceased is not only a VIP guest, but also a person from Molly's childhood. In fact, it is their connection from the past that may be the key to solving whodunnit.

I really enjoyed this sequel, especially how we got more insight into Molly's childhood. Furthermore, there were more themes of self-acceptance coming from Molly's character. While the first book was more about others accepting her for who she is, this one was more about Molly coming to terms with her own 'isms.'

What a cozy mystery for a perfect weekend! I love Molly! Her simplicity makes me feel good in her endeavors as a maid...a perfect fit for the head maid position. Under her is Lily in training, much like herself in her younger years at the 5-star Regency Grand Hotel in N.Y.C. This book gives insight to her Gran and her many cute words of advice. Gran has passed away, but she lives on in Molly.

With alternating Now and Then, Molly's Gran was a maid for the famous mystery thriller author, J.D. Grimthorpe at the Grimthorpe mansion. From her memories she tells what it was like in the estate, and her love for books in the gigantic library like The Biltmore Estate.

In the Now POV, we meet J.D. Grimthorpe again as he begins his speech with special guests to announce something special. When he drinks the tea that Lily and Molly have prepared on the tea cart in the Grand Tea Room, he falls dead. Molly finds herself and Lily at the brunt of the investigation, so she once again takes her sleuthing to another level. It has been 4 years since Mr. Black died in the hotel and Det. Stark is back to investigate. Whatever he was going to announce was written on his cue cards and even those are missing.
Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for this delightful ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars rounded down

What to expect in this book:

-Cozy mystery
-Neurodivergent characters
-Murder mystery
-Hotel setting
-Dual timelines

Thoughts

The Mystery Guest is the follow up story of Molly the maid as told in The Maid. I thoroughly enjoyed the author’s debut and was quickly reminded of Molly’s quirks and eccentric personality. Publishing in November, this is the perfect cozy mystery for fall. Readers will be transported back to the Regency Grand hotel for what feels a little like Deja vu, another murder! However, this time, the VIP guest and famous author J.D. Grimthorpe drops dead on the hotel’s tearoom floor. With Molly back at the scene of yet another crime in her beloved hotel, can she crack this case while still keeping up with the demands of being a maid? And what will she discover from her past that might be helpful in determining motive for this crime?

While I did not enjoy this story as much as the first book, I think that might be in part to the fact that I think The Maid did not need a sequel. Molly’s character is unique and represents the neurodivergence of individuals on the autism spectrum well, however sometimes I think the expansive vocabulary and frequent references to her differences can feel a little redundant. She is an unlikely hero and that is what makes her likable to readers and yet her character is difficult for me to see past sometimes.

Also, the pacing in this one felt a little off to me. I thoroughly enjoyed the split before and after scenes of Molly’s childhood and present experiences but felt like the investigation very quickly wrapped up in the end. I will be interested to see how this book is received overall. I enjoyed it and would recommend to those who enjoy mysteries without any scary, gory, or triggering scenes.

Thank you to #NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the #ARC in exchange for an honest review. Be looking out for this book to hit shelves in two weeks!

Quirky and lovable Molly the maid is back in The Mystery Guest in the 2nd book in this series. A famous mystery writer drops dead just as he’s about to make an important announcement at an event at Molly’s hotel, and there’s plenty of suspects in this delightful and breezy novel, with Molly center stage. This is basically a whodunnit, but the endearing personality of Molly is what propels the plot, and with her naive and innocent take on life you can’t but love this character. We learn more of Molly’s backstory, which is a central point in this interesting plot, and the writing flows easily throughout the novel. This series is a definite winner, and this is a most deserved 5 star read. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

It’s as perfect a cozy mystery as the first book, The Maid! I love how Molly doesn’t beat around the bush and gets to her point! We could all learn a few lessons from her and her gran! I hope there’s a third in the works. Thank you so much to Net Galley for allowing me the privilege of this ARC.

Everyone’s favorite maid is back!🙌💗

Molly has just been promoted to the position of Head Maid of the Regency Grand Hotel. Her grandma would be so proud of her!

With a high-end gathering scheduled in their newly renovated tea room, the staff are giddy with excitement. But it all comes crashing down when famous author J.D. Grimthorpe collapses during his speech at the affair.

Now, once again, Molly must assist Detective Stark to solve a murder. Perhaps our un-believer detective will be a bit more open to Molly’s special skills this time around!

I just love Molly. Her pure unadulterated innocence is so refreshing in this day and age.

The storyline takes us back to a young Molly, growing up with her grandmother. And how she came to embrace her true calling…that of being a maid.

This is a delightful, lite mystery, sure to have you smiling throughout! This is book two of the series but can easily stand on its own. I do suggest starting at the beginning just for the simple joy of getting to better know Miss Molly!

So pour yourself a spot of tea in your best china cup ,☕️ little pinkie out, and sit back and enjoy this read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Ballantine

Molly Gray is back! She is a maid like no other you have read about. Molly has risen to become the Head Maid at the Regency Grand Hotel, yet she has not changed her ways or manner. Her world is turn upside down when author J.D. Grimthorpe is found dead in hotel's tearoom. The death threatens the hotels reputation so Molly finds the clues to solve the murder.

Fans of Molly the Maid from Nita Prose’s first book, The Maid, will enjoy following Molly as she helps unlock the mystery of what happened to an esteemed author who died mysteriously at the hotel where she is “Head Maid.” Funny and reflective, we root for Molly and her friends as they rely on each other as a non-traditional family brought together by the hotel in which the work.

Pleasant surprise that we got to have a sequel. I didn’t realize it would be a series but I liked the maid and enjoyed the characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for an arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Publication: November 28, 2023

Rating: 2.5 stars

I loved Prose's first book "The Maid" and I had rated it 5 stars! It was a quirky read but I loved that I could resonate with Molly with her neurodivergent traits. These traits made me want to learn more about her. When I saw that this was a follow up book, I was pleasantly surprised and requested right away!

Unfortunately, I did not get along with this book. The writing style was the same as the first book where I found it easily to slip into the story. My main quip would be the fact that Prose relies heavily on Molly's neurodivergent traits.

I can't explain why it bothered me but it was enough that I had to put the book down. It was amazingly touched on in the first book but with this one, it almost seemed as if the readers are supposed to roll our eyes and say "Oh that Molly!" when the plot relied on Molly's lack of social skills. It honestly left a bad taste in my mouth.

Overall, not the book for me but still a cute cozy read as the temps drop!

Read if you like:
🧠 Neurodiverse Character Rep
⏳ Dual Timelines/Flashbacks
🏨 Hotel Settings
🧼 Cleaning
🔎 Who Dun it’s
🌀 Quirky MC’s
🧹 Enjoyed The Maid

The Mystery Guest brings us back to The Grand Regency Hotel a couple years following the ending of The Maid where we get to reunite with beloved characters and meet new characters as Molly is once again throw into the midst of another murder mystery that she unfortunately has become embroiled in again at the hotel.

We see the growth that Molly has experienced as the Head Maid for the hotel and how she is using her love for cleanliness and exact language to make changes to the way the hotel maid service is run… but even with her changes as head maid, it’s possible there is a bad egg in her team and they just might have something to do with some not so nice things happening once again at the hotel.

I really enjoyed coming back and spending more time with Molly the Maid as she is a pivotal part of the investigation of what happened to a famous mystery author whose plot from one of his books is hitting a bit close to home with his untimely demise… but Molly sees details others miss and with her keen attention to detail will she be able to solve another murder?!

If you enjoyed Molly in The Maid, I highly recommend reading this next installment and getting to know Molly a bit better in this cozy mystery. Thank you so much to the publisher for my ARC in exchange for my honest review!

After reading and enjoying The Maid, I was stoked to receive the sequel as an ARC!

My favorite part about this novel was being able to get more background on the relationship Molly & her gran had with each other, as well as getting to learn her grandmother's life story. You see more character development in Molly and even more quirky and funny moments-all while still capturing that cozy mystery feeling.

The only reason I didn't rate this as a 5 star read was due to her boyfriend Juan having no real purpose being mentioned in the story. I was looking forward to learning more about their relationship, but he was out of town for pretty much the entire book.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group Ballantine for this ARC.

I liked The Maid. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to read this, as there are so many books on my list that I thought would be better. I then decided to pick this up for an October mystery, and I’m so glad I did. It was exactly what I needed!

The infamous author J.D. Grimthorpe is going to speak at the hotel where Molly the Maid still works (and was promoted to head maid). Just as he’s about to take the stage, he falls down dead. Was this done by someone who worked in the hotel? Someone visiting? Someone from his past?

This books goes between 2 different time periods in Molly’s life, when she was a young girl living and working with her gram and the present time. While she still doesn’t always “get” things and takes most of what’s said quite literally, Molly is seen as a bit stronger and smarter in this book. I love how she was portrayed as authentic but also having a mind of her own.

This was a fun mystery, some would even call it cozy. I came to like Molly much more than in the first novel, and I hope to see her again soon!

realized that I had already read this book earlier when about half into the book, but finished it. great story about misfit persons with special talents. also about children on the spectrum needing that special person in their lives

"Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end." Gran.

4.5 stars! Molly is back and is now the Head Maid in The Mystery Guest. There's been another murder at the Regency Grand Hotel, and as usual, the maid is one of the first suspects. The story unfolds in a double timeline, narrated by the current day Molly and Molly when she was 10 years old. Both Molly and her Gran are lovable and make this story - bravo to Prose for creating such fabulous and interesting characters. I adore Molly's inquisitive innocence, her love and pride she takes in a job well done and the many Gran sayings that Molly refers to when making decisions. Mr. Snow, Mr. Preston, Angela and the questionable maid, Cheryl are back from the first book, as well as a host of new characters. Molly's quirky, but honest personality can sometimes get her into trouble, but her persistence and ability to notice small, out-of-place things help to solve the crime. This was an enjoyable, fun, heart-warming read. Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the eARC.

I was so excited for more of Molly. This book was just as good as the first one. I love that we get to see some of Molly’s childhood and see just how kind and special her grandma actually was. Molly was treated horribly by her peers and teachers. Her grandmother managed to override all those horrible comments and experiences to make Molly feel truly loved and special.
I enjoyed the the new murder mystery in this book. It was fun guessing who did it and why. Molly’s character grew more confident and others finally gave her the respect she deserved. The end makes it seem like this won’t be the last we hear about Molly.

In the posh world of Regency Grand Hotel, Molly Gray, the Head Maid, is the queen of clean and manners. But when famous mystery writer J.D. Grimthorpe keels over dead in the hotel's tea room, everything goes haywire. Detective Stark, Molly's old nemesis, starts digging, and suspects pop up like daisies – the newbie maid, Lily, Grimthorpe's secretary Serena, even Mr. Preston, the friendly doorman. With the hotel's reputation on the line, Molly dives into her past ties with Grimthorpe, uncovering childhood memories and secrets in the creepy Grimthorpe mansion. Time's ticking as Molly races to crack the case, unveiling buried secrets that could wreck the hotel's polished image.

This sequel delves into Molly's past and her bond with her grandmother, adding depth to her character. While the story is decent and can stand alone, it doesn't quite match the excitement of the first book.

The childhood chapters are beautifully written, providing a nostalgic touch. It's a cozy mystery, easier to read but not as gripping as "The Maid". Still, it's a recommendable, engaging read, especially if you enjoy a lighter mystery vibe.

"The Mystery Guest" is expected to publish on November 28, 2023. Big thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.